Living in a big city it’s often easy to take it for granted, and in Edinburgh, that’s truer than most.
Being surrounded by the splendour of the capital’s stunning historical buildings on a daily basis can often render us immune to their charm – but that's not true for the rest of the world, as the legions of tourists visiting daily will attest.
With Harry Potter holding many fans around the world spellbound, and Outlander taking people back in time to a more romantic version of Scotland, people are fascinated by all things Edinburgh.
One building which is regularly shared online in pictures more than most – the Writers' Museum.
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But where is it and what can you actually do there? Well, Edinburgh Live decided to play tourist and see what it's like to visit.
Where is the Writers' Museum?
You can access the museum via Lady Stair's Close which lies just off the Royal Mile on the Lawnmarket.
How much does it cost to enter?
The museum is free to enter meaning you can just wander in within the opening times, Monday to Sunday, 10 am until 5 pm. As always, there is a donation box to help with the upkeep of the building and exhibits should you wish to help.
What is it and what can you do there?
We arrived on a busy Thursday afternoon and after stopping on the Lawnmarket to take some photos of the building itself, which really does look like it's been spirited from the screen and a Harry Potter movie.
Inside you'll find a striking spiral stone staircase that leads to the exhibits, with the building dating back to the early 17th century.
There are rooms dedicated to some of the country's most famous writers including Robert Burns, Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson.
It's fascinating to wander this beautiful old house and learn about the lives of these famous writers, though we knew quite a lot about Burns already it was fun to learn about the other two legends of the Scottish literary scene.
We won't spoil too much about what you can see in the exhibits but they did have some fascinating items, including slippers and an inkstand owned by Scott, busts and statues of Burns, and even a pipe used by Stevenson. Seriously, we could have spent hours just wandering about looking at all of the items and portraits on display.
Other exhibits reveal fascinating glimpses of Steven's time in Samoa (the real-life Treasure Island) and Scott's struggles with polio in his early life – there is even an antique rocking horse with one footrest higher than the other.
One of the most interesting for us was the scale model of the Scott Monument, which allows for a close-up of this fascinating landmark.
Overall, it was intriguing to play tourist for a while, and learn more about this fascinating building and well worth a visit if you're looking to while away an hour or two.
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